Chapter Text
Chapter 7 : Fate's Surprise!
The ad campaign was almost ready and both Arthur and Alfred were nervous with excitement and apprehension. There was always a chance the client would not like it and Arthur was particularly nervous as this was his first project in the States and it would look bad if he failed. Alfred was all 'Relax, dude! It's in the bag!' but under it all, he wondered if the superhero was a good idea. After all, there had to be a reason why Kiku always talked him out of it but, after the first day, Arthur gave it a chance and Alfred did not want Arthur's first US project to fail because of his idea. They went down to the Art Department to check the poster ads they were having made up and they had to admit that they looked good but would the client like them or the TV ad they had created.
"I think they look cool!" Alfred said, looking the poster over. Arthur hummed.
"They do look rather good," he admitted. "Let's hope the client thinks so!" Alfred kissed him on the forehead.
"I'm sure they will!" he said and Arthur gave him a soft smile, although, had they not been alone, Arthur would have shoved him away as Alfred had already learnt that Arthur was not a PDA person but because they were alone, he allowed it.
"We only have a few days to dot the i's and cross the T's," Arthur replied. "I just want this to go well." And Alfred pulled Arthur into his arms and hugged him tight.
"It will!"
Sat in his apartment, Alfred Sr took a deep breath and ran through his contacts list on his cell phone to find the number he was looking for. He and Madeline always made sure they had each other's number, just in case they had news to convey about the boys, financial arrangements and, in Madeline's case, if Alfred Sr ever came to his senses.
Alfred Sr was nervous about talking to his soulmate and wife. They had been apart for so long, he had no idea what to say. He had missed her quite badly but felt that, after what happened at JFK Airport, he did not deserve her or the boys. Now, after what Alfred had said to him, he wondered if all he had done was punish his family along with himself.
He looked down at his wife's number, took another deep breath and pressed dial.
In Canada, Madeline was busy, making dinner as Matthew and his soulmate, Gilbert, were coming to dinner and she wanted everything to be special for them. She wanted to make a fuss of her eldest son whom she knew had played second fiddle to Alfie because of Alfie's soulmate problems and now it was time for Mattie to come first and she wanted to make it clear that she loved him just as much as Alfie.
Her phone began ringing and she picked it up to see who was calling. And froze! Why was her husband calling her? Had something happened to Alfie? With her heart racing, she pressed answer.
"Alfred!" she said, nervously.
"Maddie!" he sounded just as nervous as she was. "How are you?" Such banal small talk and Madeline knew he was trying to build to something.
"I'm fine, Alfred," she replied. "How are you? Are you all right? I'm wondering why you're calling, nothing's wrong with Alfie, is it?"
"No, Alfie's fine!" Alfred reassured her. "He's absolutely fine! He has a boyfriend now, a Brit called Arthur!" Madeline was about to ask the obvious. "No, it's not Artie! Arthur's soulmate is dead and Alfie's decided he's not going to wait around for Artie any more!"
"But what if Artie does show up, one day?" she asked.
"Alfie's convinced that it's never going to happen," Alfred replied. "And he wants what everybody else wants, someone to share his life with!" Madeline sighed, She had wanted so much more for her youngest son.
"So what's this Arthur like?" she asked.
"He seems like a good person," Alfred replied. "A little reserved but I think he's just uncomfortable with showing his feelings in public. Alfie seems to be happy with him, though." Madeline gave a sad smile. She would rather her son found his soulmate again but if that was not possible, to find a good person to share his life with.
"So is that why you called?" she asked. "To tell me about Alfie?" Things went quiet on the other end of the phone.
"Alfred?"
"Maddie!" came the uncertain reply. "I was talking to Alfie and I …..Maddie, have I been a fool all these years?"
Madeline wondered what Alfred was talking about. A fool about what? Could he be talking about …..?
"I took the blame for what happened to Alfie," he clarified. "And I let it eat me up and pull our family apart! Alfie never blamed me, none of you blamed me but I still let it ruin everything! I've been a fool, haven't I!" Madeline could feel the tears burning the back of her eyes. At long last, her husband was coming to his senses, after all these years!
"Yes, Alfred!" she did not sugar-coat it. "You have been a fool! You hurt us when you walked away, Alfred! All of us! Me, Alfie and Mattie! You shut us out when we should have supported Alfie together as a family, you were so stupid, Alfred!" She could hear his sad sigh on the other end of the phone.
"Is it too late for us?" Tears were now falling from Madeline's eyes.
"It won't be simple!"" she replied. "It's been a long time but it's not too late! It never has been! I've always been here waiting for you, Alfred! Waiting for you to see sense! But I need to be able to trust that you're not going to run again! You need to prove that to me and Mattie!" She heard a sob on the other end of the phone.
"I'll do whatever it takes!" he wept. "I love you so much, Madeline!" Madeline gave a sob of her own.
"I love you too, Alfred!" she replied, tears now in a steady stream, flowing down her cheeks. She was going to get her family back, she could feel it!
"I'm going to spend a few days with Alfie," he said. "And then I'm coming to Canada to see you! How will Mattie feel about that? We didn't part on the best of terms!"
"I'll tell him tonight!" she told him. "He's bringing his soulmate to dinner. I'll think he might be wary about it all but I think he wants the family back too! He was angry with you for leaving but now you're coming back, I think things will be fine eventually!"
"Maddie!" Alfred Sr sobbed. "I'm sorry!"
"I know, Alfred!" she wept. "But you're coming back now and we'll see what happens from now on! I need to go! Mattie and Gilbert will be arriving soon. I'll call you later!"
"I'll be waiting!" Alfred Sr replied. "I love you!"
"And I love you!" The call ended.
Madeline sat down at the kitchen table and tried to absorb everything that had just happened. Her husband was coming back, her eldest son had found his soulmate and her youngest now had someone in his life! She would rather it was his soulmate but she was not greedy. It was enough that the was a chance that she was finally getting her family back after all these years.
She broke down and wept with happiness!
Alfred Sr looked at the phone that he had been speaking to his wife on just a few moment before and the tears already wept were joined by others as he wept with regret at all the years wasted and then with relief that there was a chance that the Williams-Jones family would be whole once again.
It was a while before he stopped.
Gilbert set out to charm his soulmate's mother and he could see who Birdie took after. Matthew definitely had Madeline's eyes and Gilbert briefly wondered what he had of his father but Matthew never talked about his father much but he had told Gilbert about his younger brother, Alfred and how he lost his soulmate when he was three. Gil had not met Alfred yet but he really felt for the guy, knowing his soulmate was out there somewhere but not knowing where or who they were. Gilbert did not know what he would do if that had happened to him and it made him appreciate his Birdie all the more.
Madeline was a good cook and Gil enjoyed the delicious meal that she had prepared for Matthew and him and she had made Matthew's favourite for dessert which were, of course, pancakes and Matthew introduced his soulmate to the bountiful delights of maple syrup. While they dug into the fluffy bites of heaven, Madeline turned to her son.
"Mattie," she said. "Your father called today!" Mattie swallowed his bite and put his fork down, saying nothing.
"He wants a reconciliation," she continued. "He'll be coming up here in a few days to talk with me and I think he would like it if you were here as well." Gilbert looked between mother and son, reading tension in the atmosphere, a great deal of it coming from Matthew.
"It took him long enough," Matthew muttered. "What made him decided to come back now?"
"He's been talking to Alfie," Madeline replied. "I think something Alfie said to him made him see sense. By the way, Alfred has a boyfriend now called Arthur!"
"Alfie had a boyfriend with a name similar to his missing soulmate!" Matthew was a little concerned about that. "I'm guessing that this guy is blonde. Can we be sure that he's not compensating for what's missing?" They seemed to forget Gil who just sat and listened, hoping to hear what this was all about.
"Time will tell!" Madeline said, sagely. "Will you talk to your father, Mattie? I know you were angry with him when he left but things were difficult for him. He felt responsible for what happened with Alfie and his soulmate and it ate away at him."
"It was hard for all of us, Mom," Mattie replied. "I can still remember when we shared a room, how Alfie cried himself to sleep every night until he made up Artie! And you felt helpless to help him, Mom! I know you did!"
"But we didn't have to deal with the guilt of tearing Alfie away from the real Artie, Mattie!" Madeline pointed out. "It pulled your father apart from the inside until he thought we were better off without him. He was wrong but that was how he felt! Will you talk to him, Mattie? This maybe the one chance to put out family back together again!" Matthew said nothing for a moment. He remembered how, shortly after it all happened, his father used to get drunk and depressed to the point that Madeline begged to stop, worried that, one day, he would get drunk and do something stupid! He stopped but the guilt ate him up and he felt that his family were better off without him and he left. But Alfie had not left his father alone and Matthew did wonder if Alfie had accepted the job in New York to be near their father and it now occurred to Matthew that Alfie did that so he could persuade Alfred Sr to come back and try to be a family again. If so, then could Matthew undo any of that now that Alfie had succeeded. He realised that Gilbert and his mother were waiting for an answer and he nodded.
"I'll talk to him," he replied, taking his phone out of his pocket. "But I'll do it now! Before I change my mind!" He left the table, leaving his mother to keep Gilbert company.
"I take it Mattie and Alfie's Dad left because of the lost soulmate thing?" Gilbert asked and Madeline nodded.
"Alfred was the one who found Alfie after he went missing at JFK Airport," she replied. "He was with another boy and he pulled him away so we could get home. We were part the way home when we found out that Alfie's heart had started beating and we went back to the airport but the boy was gone and my husband never got over it! One day, he left and Mattie hasn't talked to him since!"
Gilbert did not know what to say! The whole family seemed to have suffered but he could not help but think that Alfred Sr had made everyone suffer unnecessarily but he did not voice that out loud. He did not know how that would be received and, as he had never been responsible for someone losing their soulmate, who was he to judge?
He did, however, wonder how the conversation was going between his soulmate and his estranged father!
Matthew scrolled through his contacts on his phone, looking for his father's number. Alfred always made sure Matthew had it, just in case but Matthew never thought he would use it. He had been angry at his father for a long time but, if he was honest, he wanted the family back together but he was not sure he trusted his father not to walk away if the going got tough again.
He found the number and his thumb hovered over it as he debated if he should call or not. He took a deep breath and pressed it.
Alfred Sr sat in front of the TV, looking at it but not really watching. After calling Madeline, his apartment seemed too lonely and quiet. The chatter from the TV did not do much for the loneliness but at least it shattered the silence.
A silence that was further shattered by the ring of his cellphone and he put the TV on mute. He picked up his phone, looked at the caller ID and could not believe what was there. Alfred always put Matthew's number into his phone whenever Matthew changed his number but Matthew had never rung him before.
He pressed answer and slowly put the phone to his ear and cautiously said, "Hello!" There was breathing on the other end but nothing was said for a moment.
"Dad!"
"Mattie!" Alfred Sr could not believe his eldest son was actually calling him after years of silence. "Mattie, it's good to hear your voice!"
"Mom said you called," Matthew said. "Said you want to reconcile! Why? After all these years, why have you decided you want the family you walked away from?" Alfred Sr winced at the disbelief in Matthew's voice and knew he deserved that. He had caused the rift so it was up to him to work to heal it.
"Alfie," he replied. "He finally made me see what I had done to everyone. I thought what I was doing was for the best but he made me see I was just made everyone suffer. It's not what I wanted and I want to put it right. With you, Alfie and your mother!"
"And how do we know you won't leave again?" Matthew said. "I remember the way Mom was the last time you walked away, I don't want to see her like that again!"
"Matthew!" his father replied. "I don't expect to just walk back into your lives and pick up where I left off, I know that's impossible! All I want is a chance to make things right again! Can you give me that chance?" Matthew sighed.
"Mom wants to," he admitted. "And I know Alfie wants the family back together but I need proof that you'll see it through this time!"
"I can only prove that by doing, Matthew," Alfred Sr replied. Matthew knew that was true.
"I'll give you that chance!" he conceded. "But I'll reserve judgement and if you walked away this time, that's it! I'll be done with you!" Alfred Sr was elated but he knew he had to make this count. He would never get another shot.
"I won't let you down, Matthew!" he said. "We'll be a family again, I promise! I'll come up in a few days and we'll talk more. I want to hear about your soulmate, Alfie told me you found him!"
"Yes, his name's Gilbert," Matthew replied. "I'm sure you'll meet him when you arrive!"
"I'll look forward to it, Mattie," his father said. "I'll see you in a few days then."
"In a few days," Matthew agreed. "Bye, Dad!"
"Bye, son!" the call ended and Alfred Sr began to weep again. His son was speaking to him again. Tomorrow, he would go and see Alfie at work and tell what had happened, he knew his youngest son would be ecstatic. He had one shot at healing the family and he would not mess it up!
Canada. Next day ….
The two sets of soulmates met up for lunch at the hotel while Rhys went to explore the town, giving the two sets of love-birds, as he called them with a slightly nauseated expression, a bit of space. Allistor noticed that the Canadian, although usually quiet, was quieter than usual and he was not sure if Matthew was upset or not.
"Are you all right, Matthew?" he asked. Matthew looked at him and nodded.
"Just thinking about stuff," he replied. "My father's coming to Canada in a few days. I haven't seen or spoken to him in years!" Allistor could not imagine not speaking to his father and wondered what could have happened to separate father and son for so long but he did not feel right prying so he said nothing. Francis, however, was not so inhibited.
"Why, mon ami?" he asked. Matthew shrugged.
"Dad left us some years ago," he replied. "He let something that happened twenty years ago make him believe that we were better off without him. I haven't spoken to him since!"
"What happened, mon frère?"
"Francis!" Allistor admonished. "He might not want to talk about it!" Matthew waved his hands in denial.
"No, it's all right!" he reassured. "My younger brother found his soulmate when he was three and Dad pulled Alfie away from him before he realised. Now Alfie doesn't know who his soul mate is and Dad's blamed himself ever since!" Francis was about to give his commiserations when the sound of Allistor's fork, falling from nerveless fingers and hitting the table clattered through the air.
Alfie! Separated soulmates! Could it be! All this went through Allistor's mind and he knew it was too much of a coincidence but he had to be sure!
"Where did this happen?" It was not a request, it was a demand and Matthew was confused by Allistor's suddenly seriously demeanour.
"JFK Airport," he replied. "We had arrived back from Disneyland and Alfie wandered off!" Allistor stood up, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
"What's your brother's full name?" he asked, scrolling through his contacts.
"He goes by Alfred F Jones now," By now the entire table was staring at Allistor who press call on his phone and put it to his ear. He paced for a while as he waited for an answer.
"Come on, Bunny," he muttered. "Pick up!" Francis, Matthew and Gilbert all frowned at Allistor's behaviour, wondering who 'Bunny' was and then Allistor's stopped pacing when he got an answer.
"Hello, Al! What do you want, you git?"
Alfred Sr stepped off the elevator on to the twelve floor where he met Alfie's boss, Feliks as he fluttered around the offices and Alfred Sr wondered just how much time the man spent in his own office. Feliks struck him as being a little weird but Alfie assured him that he was a good boss.
"Hello, Mr Jones," Feliks greeted. "Are you, like, looking for Alfred?"
"Yes," Alfred Sr replied. "I have some news for him. Do you know where he is?"
"He's, like, gone to get lunch while Arthur's down in the Art Department," Feliks replied. "He'll, totes, be back soon. You can, like, wait in his office if you like!"
"Thank you!" Alfred Sr replied and made his way to the office his son shared with Arthur and went in. He could not wait for Alfred to get back so he could tell him about his phone call to his mother and the one from Matthew. He knew how happy it would make Alfie.
He wandered around the office, looking at the photographs that Alfie had on his desk and smiled at the one of the entire family before things well and truly fell apart and, if he had his way, there would be more photographs of that nature.
Then he wandered around to Arthur's desk, seeing photo frames there. He knew he was being nosy but he wanted to find out more about this person in his son's life and the first pictures he saw were of Arthur with various people, including one that looked familiar. A red-headed man with similar eyes and eyebrows and Alfred Sr racked his brain as to where he had seen him before. Then his eyes fell on the last photograph.
It was an old picture in which Arthur was a child, about four, surrounded by three older boy boys with the oldest holding a baby about a year old and, as Alfred Sr looked at the photograph, he went pale because even if he had not recognised the four year old, he recognised the oldest one. But Alfred had said Arthur's soulmate was dead but the proof was right in front of Alfred Sr's eyes. He have to find Alfie now, it was too important to wait! As he dove out of the office, he almost collided with Feliks and Toris as they were coming down the corridor.
"Mr Jones!" Toris exclaimed. "I didn't know you were here!"
"Toris, I have to find Alfred!" Alfred Sr replied. "I found out who his soulmate is!" Toris looked stunned while Feliks was excited to hear all about it.
"Well, like, who is it!" he blurted and then there was a ding and Alfred stepped out the elevator, carrying lunch when it opened while Alfred Sr rushed over to his son and grabbed his shoulders.
"Alfie!" he said, breathlessly. "I've found your soulmate! I know who he is!" Alfred shook his head in disbelief.
"You can't have!" he replied. "And, any way, I'm with Arthur now!" Alfred Sr gave his son a little shake.
"Alfie!" he said. "Your soulmate is Arthur!" Alfred stepped out of his father's hands.
"Now I know you're wrong!" he stated. "Arthur's soulmate is dead! He told me so himself!"
"Then why is there a photograph with the boy and the red-headed teenager from JFK Airport on his desk, Alfie?" his father asked. "I recognised them immediately, after all, how could I forget! Arthur is Artie! You've found him, Alfie! You've found him!" Alfred dropped the lunch he was carrying, looking stunned and confused.
"But Arthur said he lost his soulmate a long time ago!" he breathed.
"Were those his exact words, Alfred?" Toris asked, realising what might have happened. Alfred nodded.
"Alfred, Arthur, like, said lost !" Feliks also realised what went wrong. "He never said died ! He lost his soulmate and it's you! I knew Fate would, like, bring you two back together! I'm going to, totes, have so much to put on my Facebook page today!"
"I have to find him!" Alfred said, desperately. "Where is he?"
"He's down in the Art Department!" Feliks replied and Alfred headed back toward the elevator, followed by his father, Toris and Feliks who would not missed this reunion for the world!
Arthur was looking at the final draft for the Ad poster that the Art Department had just finished making up and he was giving it a final check for mistakes that might have escaped detection but he could see no errors. A few more details and the campaign would be ready to show the client at the end of the week and Arthur hoped the client would like it. He was just giving it the once over when his phone ran and he carefully put the poster down and dug into his pocket for his phone to look at the caller Id. He wondered why Allistor was calling him from Canada and he pushed the answer button.
"Hello, Al!" he greeted. "What do you want, you git?"
"Bunny!" his brother sounded agitated or excited, it was hard to tell with him. "Just shut up and listen! I know who your soulmate is!" Arthur gave his phone a indignant glare before returning it to his ear.
"I don't appreciate the joke, Allistor!" Arthur fumed. "My soulmate's gone, there's no finding him again and I don't find this at all funny!" On the other end of the phone, Allistor lost patience with his little brother.
"Arthur Britannia Kirkland, listen to me!" While Gilbert 'Kesesese'-ed at 'Britannia', Matthew's head came up at 'Arthur'. Could the person on the other end of the phone be Alfie's lost soulmate? Allistor seemed to think so. "I'm going to pass you over to someone! Listen to him, okay?" Allistor handed his phone to Matthew.
"Tell him what you told me!" he said. "Tell him about JFK!" Matthew took the phone and put carefully against his ear and said, "Hello!"
"Hello, who is this?" said the British voice on the other end. "If my wanker of a brother put you up to this, just don't bother! It's in poor taste, like all Al's jokes!"
"I promise," Matthew reassured the man on the other end of the phone. "I'm not in on any joke! My name is Matthew Williams! My little brother met his soulmate at JFK Airport when he was three but my father took him away and he never saw him again. I was talking about it just now when, suddenly Allistor took his phone out and called you! Please, are you Artie?"
Arthur just stood there with his phone to his ear, saying nothing! This could be a joke but the voice on the other end of the phone sounded so truthful. Could he know who his soulmate is? But what about Alfred?
"Are you still there?" the voice asked when he got no reply. "Please, are you Alfie's soulmate?"
"What's your brother's name?" Arthur asked breathlessly.
"Well, the family name is actually Williams-Jones," Matthew replied. "I use Williams! My brother is Alfred F Jones!" Arthur could not help the shocked laughter that came out of his mouth. Alfred! Alfred was his soulmate! But Alfred said his soulmate was dead! No! Wait! Now Arthur thought about it, Alfred had never said anything about his soulmate being dead, he said his soulmate was lost ! Gone as in missing! Arthur had just assumed. Matthew heard the laughter on the other end of the phone and he was worried he had just given Allistor's brother some kind of breakdown.
"Are you all right?" he asked, worried, looking at Allistor with a concern expression. Allistor held out his hand and Matthew gave him back the phone.
"Oi, Bunny!" he said, loudly. "You still with us?" Arthur gave another hysterical laugh.
"Is that right?" Arthur asked with ironical mirth in his voice. "My soulmate is called Alfred F Jones?"
"Aye!" Allistor replied.
"Does he work for Hetalia Advertising?" Allistor asked Matthew who confirmed that he did.
"Yes, he does!" Allistor told Arthur who gave another burst of laughter. At least he would not have to worry about Alfred getting his heart broken now.
"Are you all right, Bunny?" Allistor was concerned now.
"Oh, I'm fine!" Arthur replied. "I'm better than fine, Al! I work with Alfred! He's my boyfriend!" There was a moment of silence on the phone and then Allistor began laughing.
"Only you, Artie!" he chuckled. "Only you! Well, why are you still nattering on the phone to me! Go get 'em, Bunny!"
"Allistor!" Arthur said. "You're not a git any more!"
"I'll always be a git, Bunny!" Allistor laughed. "Now just go!" Allistor hung up and Arthur put his phone away and practically ran for the elevator, punching the button to get back to the office where Alfred should have returned with lunch. He waited for the doors to open but it was not happening quickly enough for him so he gave up and ran for the stairs. When he was out of sight, the elevator doors opened and Alfred, his father, Toris and Feliks spilled out of it and they headed for the Art Department while Feliks fiddled with his phone camera. He wanted this epic moment recorded.
Arthur burst out of stairwell, slightly out of breath and he ran for their office, passing a brown bag and two split cups that someone had dropped but not bothered to clean up but Arthur was too focus on getting to his office, hoping Alfred had returned already. He was not losing Alfie this time, he could not! Fate would not be that cruel, would it? To his disappointment, the office was empty. Should he wait? He did not want to wait! He had finally found his soulmate and it was the one he had fallen in love with! He wanted to be with him now, he had waited long enough!
Arthur made his way to the elevator to go down to the lobby to wait for him!
"Has any one seen Arthur Kirkland?" Alfred asked a group of people, including Raivis and Peter, who were standing around the water fountain when he could not find Arthur in the department where their ad poster was being printed.
"He was here early," Raivis replied. "Checking the poster you guys designed."
I think I saw him outside the elevator earlier," Peter said. "And then he disappeared up the stairs."
"Thanks, man!" Alfred replied and turned to the others, ignoring the fact that Feliks had his phone camera in his face. "He must have gone back up to the office!" And they made their way back to the elevator and Alfred punched the call button.
Arthur sighed in frustration when the elevator stopped but not at the ground floor. Someone must have call the elevator and it stopped on the way down. Why today of all days! The doors opened and Arthur found himself looking at the one he wanted to see most. His soulmate's sky-blue eyes widened at the sight of Arthur standing in the elevator when he had expected it to be empty. They stood staring at each other for a moment, saying nothing as if they could not believe their soulmate was right in front of them at last. Arthur's lips quivered as both finally broke the silence.
“YOU'RE MY SOULMATE!” They both said it together and, despite already knowing, saying it made it real.
"Alfie!" Tears sprang into both their eyes as Alfred's million-dollar smile broke through.
"Artie!" It had a different sound to all the other times Alfred had called Arthur Artie! The last time it sounded like that, he was playing hide and seek with a four year old boy in an airport lounge. A sound reserved for his soulmate. Arthur threw himself into Alfred's arms and Alfred held him tight like he would never let him go. Tears of joy flowed down Alfred's face while Arthur sobbed, "I've found you! I've finally found you!" Alfred unwrapped his arms from around Arthur, took his face in his hands and firmly placed his lips over his.
Arthur wrapped his arms around Alfred's waist and held him close as the kiss went on and on, like Alfred was trying to make up for twenty years in that single contact, unaware and uncaring that they had an audience and that the whole thing was being captured on camera phone. Alfred Sr wept with joy that his son had his soulmate back and would have what everyone else had. Toris was so happy for his friend and overjoyed that Alfred's years of loneliness were at an end. Feliks was so happy it turned out like this with no one getting their heart broken and this footage was too epic to go on to a Facebook page where only certain people could see it. No, the world should see it and so Feliks uploaded it to Youtube where he put all his other 'so epic, the whole world should see it!' stuff, under the title 'Man finds soulmate he lost at age three, turns out to be work colleague' It got so many hits in the first hour, the site almost crashed. The kiss finally ended, most due to a need to breath, and they just stared into each other's tear-filled eyes.
“How did you find out?” Alfred asked, still holding Arthur like he was afraid he would disappear again if he let go.
“My brother met yours,” Arthur replied. “He talked about what happened at JFK. Allistor put two and two together and called me. I can't believe my missing soulmate turned out to be my boyfriend after all.” Fresh tears of happiness crawled down Arthur's face.
“Me neither,” Alfred replied. “I could kick myself. I've seen those photos on your desk and never made the connection but Dad took one look and recognised you immediately.” He stroked Arthur's face, gently. “I can't believe I finally got you back.”
"I'm never letting you out of my sight again," Arthur sobbed. "Do you hear me?"
"Loud and clear!" Alfred saluted. "I'll stay so close to you, you'll be sick of the sight of me!" Arthur gave a tearful chuckle.
"Never happen!" he promised.
Green-fuels Man used a green beam from his eyes to build a wind turbine that began to spin and a nearby house lit up with power and then he flew up to the roof of another house and aimed his fists at it. Green pulses flew from them and solar panels appeared and that house also lit up. A mini Green-fuels Man used his power to float empty plastic bottles and paper to a large bin with a recycle symbol on it and a landfill emptied. The two superheroes flew to a river and conjured up a turbine that the water flowed through and, somewhere on a dark street, the street lamps illuminated everything around them. And finally, something simple! Green-fuels Man filled a family car with bio fuel while Mini Green-fuels Man look on smiling. Then, it was just an ordinary man filling the car with his little boy who looked up at his father with a look of worship on his face! And then there was a close up of the man's face.
"Be a superhero to your children!" he said. "Use renewable fuels and save the planet!" Then he picked the boy up and flew him around like Superman while the caption 'A Message from the World Environment Agency' appeared at the bottom of the TV screen. The TV ad had been running for two weeks and already, little children were running around with capes on, pretending to build 'big whirly windmills'.
Arthur and Alfred would never know whether their client, The World Environment Agency, accepted the campaign because they liked it or whether their new-found fame had swayed them. After the mini-crisis with Youtube almost going down under the weight of so many viewing Feliks's footage, the media picked up on it, wanting interviews with ' The Soulmates' as they became dubbed. Their tale became one of the greatest love stories and there were rumours that one of the big film companies want to make a film of it. Alfred was naturally excited at the idea but Arthur was not so sure about having their lives plastered across the silver screen.
Things were going well for Alfred's parents as well. Discovering who Alfred's soulmate was had lifted Alfred Sr's sense of guilt somewhat and he went to his wife and eldest son with the great news and a much lighter heart. He and Madeline were becoming comfortable with each other again and Matthew's doubt about his father's commitment was shrinking and they were slowly pulling back together as a family and Alfred was ecstatic about it. They still had some way to go but the future was looking good.
Arthur's family all flew to New York when they heard that he had found his soulmate. They wanted to meet the man that should have been a part of their family for the past twenty years. Alice and Robert immediately hugged Alfred while Arthur's brothers commiserated with him for having Arthur as a soulmate. Allistor and Francis also came, along with Gilbert and Matthew who hugged Arthur and then Alfred.
"I'm so happy for you, Alfie!" he said. Alfred wrapped his arms around his older brother and hugged him back.
"I'm happy for you too, Mattie!" Alfred replied. "I think we'll all be happy now!"
Feliks still put the footage on his Facebook page and Kiku moaned the fact he had missed out on seeing his friend and partner reunited with his lost soulmate. It was one of the most epic moments of all time in his view and he missed it but he did not regret finding his own soulmate. Hercules wrapped his arms around Kiku from behind and hugged him tight.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked. Kiku smiled.
"How we met," he replied and Hercules smiled as he remembered too.